


Slow

by Crasseux



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: M/M, Maybe angst, Might add more tags later on, Minor Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), School, Slow Burn, but with a happy ending though, this is so cliche im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:48:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28444173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crasseux/pseuds/Crasseux
Summary: Karl meets Quackity.Karl falls for him.He is not sure how to handle it.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs
Comments: 31
Kudos: 255





	1. 1.

_I want a Sunday kind of love._

This was probably the quietest this class ever was. It surprised him; the brown haired man sat at his desk while he stared out of the window. They were in the middle of one of the most important tests of their school lives- and Karl was sat daydreaming. He snapped back into reality when the back of his chair was tapped. Karl picked his pencil back up and went on with his work. His friend Nick was sitting behind him, aware that Karl often drifts into space and needs to be taken back down sometimes.

He thanked Nick for this in his mind. He’d be fucked out of his mind if Nick wasn’t there to remind him where he is. He sped through answers, being as thorough as possible. He deemed the test as easy but he knew well enough that he’d end up getting a shit grade in the end. He heard people getting up and turning their tests in; which means that class is almost over.

Karl and Nick we’re going to hang out that night. It was a warm Friday and they had so much planned. They were going to invite Clay and George over as well. The four of them would stay up so late; they each placed a bet on who would fall asleep first. Karl bet on Sapnap; he slept a lot. When Karl finished his test he walked up and turned it in; returning to his desk to go back to daydreaming.

Karl was a lonely man. He wanted nothing more than someone to look at him the way he looks at someone else. He wants something slow and steady, something so soft and sweet that it feels like he's melting. He envied what Clay and George had- they were friends but you can tell there was something between them. Karl wants the tension he notices between Clay and George- the subtle brush of hands and the looks that they give each other. It was too much for Karl to watch; he wanted it, he craved it. The bell startled him out of his thoughts.

He packed his things up and turned to Nick, “Are you ready?”  
Nick hummed as he typed something into his phone. “Yeah, one second.” He locked his phone and slipped it into the front pocket of his hoodie. He slung his backpack on one shoulder. “Clay said he’d meet us out front.”

They made their way outside with small talk between them. “What were you thinking of?” Nick had asked him.  
Karl wasn’t sure what to say. “Nothing much, I was just thinking about tonight.” He had hoped Nick would have bought that. When the shorter man said nothing- he let his shoulders relax.

Clay and George greeted them when they finally got outside. They talked among each other as they walked to Karl’s house, excitement brewing in their chests. When they made it there, they threw their things down on Karls couch and ran up to his room, turning the TV on and busting out bottles and cans of various drinks.  
Karls mom was out of town for the weekend, she left when Karl left for school. They had the weekend to do what they wanted. The browned haired man ran downstairs, stuffing various amounts of snacks in the pockets of his jacket and rushing back upstairs. He threw the snacks at his friends, the rest on his bed. Clay had sat with George on the couch Karl had in his room. Karl and Nick had sat themselves down on the floor, crawling towards his gamecube to pop in Super Mario 64.

They had played for a while, switching every so often so everyone would get a turn. They had tore into many chip bags and cracked open tons of drinks. Later, they went down to the kitchen and ordered food. They ran around the house, chasing each other until the food got there.

After they ate they played more games, switching between consoles and games every so often. George and Clay couldn’t stay, so that left Karl and Nick. They had put the games away and went to sit outside while the sun set.

Nick’s phone had chimed and he pulled it out. Karl listened to the ticking of his keyboard while he stared off into the sky. It was dark by now, the trees were swaying back and forth through the sky, ruffling and twisting.

“Hey,” Nick began, typing one last thing into his phone. “Do you want to meet a friend of mine?” He asked, looking up at Karl with a smile.

“What's his name?” Karl asked, trying to peer at Nick’s phone. He pulled it away and chuckled.

“His name’s Alex, I think you’ll like him.”

Karl pondered on the same Alex, it sounded familiar but he wasn’t sure where he heard it from. The taller nodded his head and they went off. Alex didn’t live far apparently, they took a small walk to his house and waited for him on the sidewalk.

While they waited, Karl started to zone out again. He was the type to overthink meeting someone new, and he wanted to make sure he left a good impression on Alex. In the midst of his thoughts, Alex had come out of his house. Nick had nudged Karl to get his attention; and when Karl came to- he was shell shocked.

Alex was gorgeous.

He suddenly became very self conscious. He looked down at what he was wearing and felt embarrassed. He looked so lame compared to Alex.

“Hi, I’m Alex.” The boy had said, offering a smile.

“Karl.” He murmured, smiling back.

The three had walked back to Karl’s house, sitting out on the porch and talking before heading inside. They walked up to Karl’s bedroom, Nick sat on the couch with Alex beside him while Karl sat on his bed.

Nick and Alex had picked up on a conversation and Karl couldn’t help but watch Alex as he talked. The black haired man gestured a lot as he spoke, he was very animated. He was also incredibly funny, the entire night Karl was laughing at his jokes and remarks towards Nick.

Alex and Karl had gotten to know each other a lot better during the night, they had ended up running around in the backyard while Nick watched from inside. When Nick had finally come outside, they laid in the grass together.

And then it hit Karl all at once.

He fell for someone he just met.


	2. 2

_Everything you do is irresistibl_ e.

Karl’s heart had stopped. He turned to Alex, who was talking to Nick about some sort of planet. He was terrified now, it's never happened this fast before. He tried to ignore it, maybe he was too excited about meeting such an awesome friend. He put his hands at his side, brushing against Alex’s. Karl moved his hand away quickly, though he wanted to keep it where it was. Alex didn’t seem to care, he was still talking.

“Karl, can Alex spend the night with us?” Nick had asked.

Karl’s heart pounded. “Sure.”

Alex had locked eyes with Karl, smiling. Karl smiled back.

“Thanks, dude.” Alex had gotten up, “I should probably tell my parents though.” He said, Nick got up with him, and Karl followed.

“Do you want me to walk you to your house?” Nick had asked him.

“No, it's okay. I’ll be back in like ten minutes.” Alex had already started walking to the front yard.

“Don't get lost!” Karl called out, he heard Alex laugh in the distance.

“Karl,” Nick started. The taller had turned towards Nick. “How do you like him so far?”

“He’s..” Karl began. “He’s great.”

Nick smiled, “I agree.”

The pair went inside. They had sat down in the living room and waited for Alex, taking a few minutes to sit in silence. It was a comfortable silence, but Karl couldn’t stop his nerves from flaring up. His hands felt like they were buzzing while he scrolled through twitter, aimlessly. He wasn’t sure why it was so bad this time.

Finally, Alex had made it back. The door swung open, scaring Karl half to death. Nick had laughed at this, to which Karl threw an empty water bottle at him.

They had made their way upstairs, Alex put his stuff in a corner. They decided on watching a movie, the three of them squished together on Karl’s couch. Nick was sat on the left side, Alex on the right; Karl was trapped in the middle.

Oh, was it hell trying to focus.

Nick had taken up a lot of space on the couch, claiming that he ‘deserved it’ for introducing Karl to Alex. This meant that Karl and Alex were squished together. Karl’s skin felt like it was on fire, his leg was right up against Alex’s.

Karl was trying his hardest not to bounce his leg, or move in the slightest. He had started to calm down until Alex had dropped his head onto Karl’s shoulder. The taller had held his breath then, squeezing his legs.

Alex must have caught sight of this, he had moved his head. “Sorry,” He whispered.

“It’s okay.” Karl had breathed out. He was disappointed but it was for the best. Soon, his nerves had calmed down and he was finally able to watch the movie. It was getting closer to the end, but he was still glad he got to see at least some parts of it.

When the movie was over, Nick was asleep. Alex had suggested they either write on his face or be nice and move him to the guest room. Karl liked the first idea better, he ran downstairs to get a sharpie.

When Karl tried to write on his face, Nick grabbed his wrist; scaring the life out of Karl and Alex.

“I wasn’t really asleep,” Nick giggled.

“You scared the shit out of me!” Karl exclaimed, Alex was laughing harder than he had the whole night.

They laughed for a bit. “Alright, alright,” Karl began, clearing his throat. “How do you want to do sleep arrangements? I only have one guest bedroom.

“Alex can take it if he wants, i’ll cuddle up with you.” Nick suggested, giggling and pulling Karl closer.

Karl had backed up, laughing. “No, I'll make you sleep on the couch.”

“That's fine with me, your couch is mad comfy.” Nick had turned over and pretended to sleep. Karl looked at Nick, then over at Alex. The black haired man shrugged.

Karl had taken Alex to the guest room, explaining where the bathroom was and how to get to him if he needed to. With that, Alex had turned in for the night. When Karl got back to his room, Nick was already asleep. He threw a blanket over the boy and headed to his bathroom.

He was too tired to do anything, the only thing he did in the bathroom was look at himself in the mirror before throwing himself on his bed. He didn’t bother to change, he slipped into a deep sleep.

The next morning, he forgot Alex was even here. That is until he looked over and saw Nick on the couch. He got up and stretched, feeling sticky and sweaty from sleeping in jeans and a sweater. He got up and changed, heading downstairs to make coffee.

He started the keurig and sat by a window, watching birds fly by. It was 10 am on a Saturday. Karl doesn't usually wake up this early, but it's different when someone sleeps over. Alex had come out of the guest room when Karl was pouring his cup.

“Good morning,” He smiled.

“Good morning.” Alex’s voice was raspy. All feelings from last night flooded Karl instantly, he nearly dropped his mug. Alex sat down in front of Karl on the barstool, rubbing his eyes.

“Did you sleep well?” Karl asked, sliding Alex the cup he was holding.

Alex accepted it gratefully, taking a sip. “Great, your beds are really comfortable.”

A comfortable silence fell between them. Karl had poured a second mug and drank it. The two stared out of the window together. It was nice and simple, yet it made Karl’s heart race. Nick had finally come downstairs.

“You didn’t make breakfast?” Nick pouted.

“No, sorry. I didn’t know when you’d be up.” Karl replied. “Do you want me to make some?”

“No, it's okay. Don’t worry about it.” Nick stretched, rolling his shoulders back. “I can’t stay for very long this morning, I got stuff to do.”

“Yeah, so do I.” Alex chimed in.

“Oh, okay.” Karl put in. “Do you need anything, want anything?”

Alex nodded his head. “Thank you, though.” He had gotten up and headed for the guest bedroom, gathering his things. “I had fun last night, thank you for letting me stay.”

Karl nodded, smiling at him. Alex then had left, leaving Nick and Karl to themselves.

“I’m gonna head out soon, let me get my shit together.” Nick had said, leaving the room. He came back shortly after with his things, saying goodbye to Karl and leaving. Which left Karl alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the support!!! it makes me incredibly motivated that people genuinely are enjoying what i put out!! :)) i try to upload every day! if i skip a day im sorry :(


	3. 3

_ I’d walk for miles til’ I found you.  _

  
  


That day, Karl didn’t do much. He cleaned up what his friends had left and tidied up. He had sat down on the couch in the living room, blankly staring at his TV. He really liked Alex, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to call it romantic or just platonic. He was nice to be around and matched Karl’s energy super well. He wondered what type of life Alex had outside of what they shared last night. He wondered a lot about Alex and couldn’t wait to uncover a lot more about him. 

His fingers itched to ask Nick for his number. Should he just wait until he sees Alex again? What if he doesn't see him again? Karl should have just asked him for his number when he was here. Karl took in a breath before picking up his phone and texting Nick. 

_ K: hey do you have alex's number?  _

Karl stared at his phone screen, immediately regretting asking. 

_ N: Yeah, why?  _

Karl started to sweat a little. 

_ K: i want it.  _

Karl watched as his message turned from delivered to read. A few moments later, a number popped up. He added it to his contacts and texted Alex.

_ K: hi!! Its karl :) i got ur number from nick!  _

He really shouldn’t have texted him so soon. He’d worry about that later. 

_ A: oh shit! Hi :) i was just contemplating asking him to have yours lol _

That made Karl’s heart stop for a moment. He smiled ear to ear. 

_ K: well now u have it :] _

Karl locked his phone and sat it down beside him. Staring up at the ceiling and smiling. He felt like he was burning again. He decided to get up and actually start his homework. 

Sunday went by fast too, there was nothing to really do so Karl didn’t do much that day. His mom had come back home. 

Monday was a new day. He got up earlier than usual and had a more productive morning. He went to school earlier and caught up with George and Clay as they walked. They had split up when they got inside, each heading to their homeroom. He usually sat on his phone that class, until he heard someone approach him. He looked up to see Alex, and a smile had sprung out on his face. 

“Hi,” Alex said. He looked tired, the hairs sticking out of his beanie were spikey and curled, going in different directions. He wanted to smooth it out but resisted the urge. 

“Hi,” Karl replied. “I didn’t know you were in my homeroom.” 

“Neither did I.” Alex sat down beside Karl. It was awkward at first, until Karl decided to ignore the anxiety bubbling in his chest and actually speak to him. They held a conversation about a new video game coming out, expressing how excited they were. Conversation flew easily between them. By the end of homeroom, Karl was feeling energized. When the bell rang, he waved goodbye to Alex and made his way to the first period. 

Karl didn’t have Nick or Alex in it. Neither George nor Clay were in it too. It didn’t bother him too much, though. It was History, which he liked. They were learning something about America that Karl didn’t really care about, he’d get notes from Niki or Wilbur later. He pulled out his phone and hid it under his desk. Alex had texted him. 

_ A: what class are u in? Mines boring _

_ K: im in history, i usually like the class but the topic is boring today _

_ A: what are u learning about?  _

_ K: something abt america, what class are u in?  _

_ A: science, i have no idea wtf is goin on _

Karl had to stifle a laugh, he looked back up to the teacher. She was immersed in the lesson so Karl continued to text Alex.

_ K: oh i know a lot abt science, whats the topic?  _

_ A: cognitive science, my brain hurts _

_ K: maybe i can help tutor you :) it gets easier when you understand it  _

_ A: yes pls  _

_ K: do you want to meet at the park? I can give you a bunch of notes from when i took that class _

_ A: sure :)  _

Karl smiled to himself, slipping his phone into his pocket. He tuned into the rest of the lesson until the bell rang. He made his way to the second period who he shared with George. They sat next to each other and often partnered up. 

“Hi, Karl.” George greeted him. 

“Hello,” Karl said, slipping into the seat next to George. He was in calculus now. George always helped Karl in this class; he was oddly good at it. 

“I heard you met Alex,” George commented, pulling out a few books. 

“Yeah,” Karl swallowed, following George and pulling out some books too. “I like him, a lot.” 

George smiled. How did everyone else meet him before Karl did? Class finally began and Karl was  _ so  _ confused. He ended up spacing out and staring out of the window until he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. 

_ A: when do you want to meet up?  _

_ K: after school _

Karl really needed to stop focusing on Alex and actually on his school work. But he knew he couldn’t resist it. His mind wandered to Alex, he has never seen the shorter around school before meeting him, which was strange. Before his thoughts could continue, George had nudged him. 

“Don’t forget class, you have a test on Friday.” The teacher said. Karl thanked George and started to focus until the bell rang. 

It was lunchtime now, he walked with George. He never really ate lunch, he didn’t have a big appetite. Nick had sat down next to Karl. They picked up on a random conversation while Clay and George talked. Eventually, Nick had joined George’s and Clay’s conversation, so Karl took the time to scan the cafeteria. His eyes found where Alex was sitting, so fast. 

Alex was sat with Wilbur and Tommy, clearly terrorizing them. Actually- no, Wilbur was terrorizing Tommy and so was Alex. He smiled to himself, Alex was  _ really  _ cute. Before he could get caught staring, he looked away. 

“Please, shut the hell up.” Tommy sighed, he had his head rested on his head. Alex only looked over to Wilbur, who looked back at him. They began to re-sing the entire song they were singing previously. Tommy put his head down, groaning in annoyance at the two. Alex and Wilbur laughed together, clearly amused by the reaction they got out of Tommy. 

Wilbur’s phone had buzzed, so he checked it. 

_ K: im gonna need a run down of history today _

_ W: im gonna kill you where are you _

_ K: a few tables in front of u _

“I’ll be back,” Wilbur sighed. Alex followed him with his eyes. He walked over to a brown haired man- oh wait, that's Karl. 

Wilbur knows Karl? 

Thats cool. 

Alex turned his attention back to Tommy. “So Tommy, have you talked to any women?” 

Tommy’s head perked up. “Oh, absolutely.” Tommy began to go on about how much he loved women and hated men. Alex hated sitting in silence, so having Tommy go on about something stupid until Wilbur came back was enough to keep him feeling good. 

“Karl Jacobs, if you do this one more time I swear-” Wilbur began but was cut off by Karl. 

“Hey man, it's okay. You love me.” Karl said, patting Wilbur’s shoulders. 

“No I don’t.” Wilbur sneered, pulling out notes from today’s history class. 

“I owe you one.” Karl said, taking pictures of them. 

“Yes, you do.” Wilbur replied, packing his notes away when Karl was done with them. 

Karl sat back down and joined the group’s conversation, waiting for the bell to ring. 

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! thank u for the support :) i think i should mention that everyone that is mentioned is in their junior year, i know its different in britian but lets pretend that george, wilbur, etc doesnt live in britian <3


	4. 4

_ May I waste your time too? _

. 

  
  
  


When the bell rang, Karl walked by himself to his 3rd period. He had photography next. He had chosen this class, he really liked taking pictures of people. If Karl was correct, Alex should be in this class. He wasn’t too sure; but he thinks he has seen Alex in this class a few times. He had gotten to class early, so he sat down to look if he had any messages. He saw that he had none, so he lifted his head up. Someone was standing in front of him, this made him jump. 

“Sorry, did I scare you?” It was Alex, of course it was Alex. 

“Yeah, it's okay.” Karl laughed at himself and Alex joined him. 

So Karl was right, he did have Alex in this class. Alex sat close to him, they ended up passing notes back and forth in the beginning of class. 

_ I've never noticed how ugly the teacher was tbh _

Karl bit back a laugh, looking up to the teacher. He was right, though. He looked back down and scribbled his reply underneath Alex’s writing. 

_ I've haven't noticed either, I barely look at him _

He put the paper on the floor, passing it over to Alex using his foot. Alex’s handwriting was pretty, not necessarily neat but it was pretty. Soon, Alex slid the paper back to him. 

_ Btw ur ring is pretty where’d u get it? _

Karl looked down at his hand and smiled. He wore a decently sized ring on his pinky finger. 

_ My mom got it for me a while ago idk where she bought it _

He passed the note back to Alex. He looked back up to the teacher, he began to speak. “Class, we are going to head outside today.” 

Karl liked these days, especially when it was the warmer type of days. 

“You are expected to take three pictures that represent the word ‘simple’.” The teacher spoke. It was an easy prompt. The students in the class went up to the front of the class to collect their cameras and headed outside. 

It was cool today, the sun was out but it was cloudy. There was a bit of wind, but it was nice. Alex and Karl walked together, taking pictures of what they deemed as ‘simple’. Karl took a picture of a flower in the middle of the field, Alex took a picture of the sky. It made sense to them. They had extra time, so they sat in the grass together. 

It was nice, Karl rarely gets to have such silent-intimate moments with someone like this. He looked over to Alex, who was watching the clouds. 

Alex looked down at Karl, then pointed up to the sky. “That cloud looks like a dick.” He bursted out laughing. 

Karl laughed with him, “Where?” He moved closer to Alex, trying to see where he pointed. When he saw it, they laughed harder. 

Soon enough, the teacher made the class go back inside. They sat at their desks while they waited for the bell to rang. 

Alex trotted over to Karl. “What class do you have next?” 

“English upstairs,” Karl said, swinging his book bag over his shoulder. 

“Oh, great! My class is near there. Lets go.” Alex beamed. Karl and him walked to class together, waving goodbye when they had to part. 

Clay was in this class with Karl, he sat down at his desk. This class went by faster than the rest, Clay and Karl had partnered up on a project and got it done fast. The bell rang in no time, and he texted Alex. 

_ K: r ur ready? :}  _

_ A: hell ya _

With that, Karl met Alex outside of his classroom. They made small talk while walking out of school and to the park. The park wasn’t too far, it was fairly close to Karl’s house. When they got there, they set their things down. 

“Holy shit, Karl!” 

“You like that?” 

“Faster!” 

They busted out laughing, Alex nearly falling over. Alex was on the swings, Karl was pushing him. 

“That sounds so wrong,” Karl giggled. He had stopped pushing Alex. “Alright, come on. Let’s actually get started.” 

Alex hopped off the swings and they sat down together on a picnic table. Karl pulled his book bag closer to him while Alex grabbed out his work. Karl moved closer to him to look at his work. They were incredibly close, if Karl weren’t so focused on the paper, he’d lose his mind. 

“Oh, this is easy.” He began to explain what was going on to the shorter. He listened intently, asking questions every so often. 

It pleased Karl. “Okay, try it.” Karl smiled. Alex got to it while Karl started to daydream. He stared off at the scenery, his mind wandering to Alex. Soon, his eyes followed. He looked adorable, his tongue poked out a bit from his lips. A piece of hair had fallen from his beanie and into his face, Karl’s hands itched to touch him. He slowly reached out and tucked the strand of hair back into his beanie. He didn’t think about it, and when he realized what he did; he ripped his hand away. 

Alex looked up at him and smiled. “Oh- Sorry, I-” Karl was at a loss for words. 

“It’s okay.” Alex said to him, his voice was soft. Alex finished up what he was writing and showed it to Karl. 

“Yeah, see you got it!” Karl smiled. 

Alex sighed in relief, putting his work away. “You’ll probably have to re-explain it next week.” Alex laughed at himself. 

“That’s fine, i'm here to help.” Karl replied, looking down at his shoes for a moment. “I’m bored.” 

“Me too,” Alex spoke. “You know what you could do?” His voice was lower, deeper. It made Karl’s heart race, along with his brain. Alex got impossibly closer to him. Karl froze in place, both of his hands were on top of the bench, he clenched them. 

“What?” Karl replied, trying not to sound shaly. His eyes met Alex’s. 

“You could…” Alex put his hand on Karl’s thigh; his fingers dancing upwards. 

There was absolutely no way this was happening. Karl wasn’t complaining- but in the middle of the park? 

Before he knew it, Alex had snatched Karl’s phone from his pocket. “..Catch me!” 

Alex bolted. Karl had to take a moment to process what just happened before springing up and taking off after Alex. “That’s really childish!” He called out. 

Alex smiled at this, ducking away behind a tree to hide. He laughed at himself, convinced that he lost Karl before the taller tackled him. 

Alex fell with a thud, and Karl went with him. They laughed at each other before falling into silence. They stared at each other, Karl’s mouth parted slightly. He glanced down at Alex’s lips. He was so close, a bit further and the gap would be closed. 

Karl sucked in a breath before pulling back and getting off of Alex, laughing awkwardly. “Sorry, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Alex said, sitting up. “Here’s your phone back.” Alex handed Karl his phone. 

Karl slipped it back into his pocket. They sat together for a moment, Karl was terrified that he messed up. Alex’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. “Hey,” He said. Karl looked at him. “ITs okay.” 

Karl nodded and got up, helping Alex up. They smiled before chasing after each other. They had left before it got dark, Karl had walked Alex halfway to his house.

“Thank you for this,” Alex spoke softly. 

“Anytime,” Karl said. They smiled before waving goodbye and parting ways. When Alex was out of sight, Karl ran back home. When he stepped into his house, he sat down on the couch in the living room. 

God, what has he gotten himself into? 


	5. 5

_ How long can the days go on, when my love is so strong?  _

The days went fast that week, before he knew it; it was Friday. It was currently lunch time, Alex and Karl were sitting outside together. 

“Do you want to come over today?” Karl asked, looking over to Alex.

“Yeah, sure.” Alex replied, stretching his legs out in front of him. “Is Nick coming?” 

“No, I thought it’d be nice if it were just us.” Karl messed with the strings of his hoodie, 

“Oh,” Alex said, looking over to Karl. “Okay.” He smiled. 

Karl smiled back at him. They sat in silence for a moment, looking at the clouds. The bell eventually rang and they made their way inside, Karl had Chemistry with Nick. 

Nick could see the giddiness on Karl’s face. “What’s up with you?” 

“Nothing, nothing,” Karl beamed. 

“No, tell me.” Nick said, Karl only shook his head. For the duration of 3rd period, Nick had begged Karl to tell him what happened. Karl only kept silent. When the ball rang, Nick still begged. They had 4th period together, but the teacher did not tolerate talking. Karl thought he had finally gotten Nick to be quiet, but Nick still found a way to bother Karl because, well, he’s Nick. 

The bell finally rang, Karl got up from his seat and threw his book bag over his shoulder. He texted Alex a quick message. 

_ K: i’ll meet u outside :P  _

“Karl,” Nick whined, “Please tell me,” 

Karl sighed, he knew Nick wouldn’t have gone down without a fight. “Fine,” 

Nick gasped, beaming. Karl gave him a small chuckle. “Alex and I are going to hang out,” Karl smiled at this. 

Nick looked disappointed. “That’s it?” He asked. “No, there has to be more to it, you’re never that excited hanging out with me.” 

Karl’s smile disappeared. Nick was right, but Karl didn’t want him to know. 

Nick suddenly gasped, “And without me?” Nick put a hand to his heart, acting as if he were wounded. “Karl, I am hurt.” 

“Sorry,” Karl offered a smile, “I have to go now.” Karl began to walk off. 

“No, no.” Nick followed him. “You’re gonna tell me what’s up.” 

The thing is, Karl would be fine with telling Nick if it were, for one, anyone else, and for two, a girl. Karl had begun to question his sexuality a lot before meeting Alex, but when he finally met Alex; it must have been a deal breaker. Karl still wasn’t sure what he was, maybe he just wouldn’t be labelled. He likes what he likes and that's final. He knew Nick would accept him, but he wasn’t ready yet. 

Karl never replied to Nick, he only kept walking with Nick trailing behind him. “Karl,” Nick said sternly, he grabbed Karl’s sleeve and pulled him back. “Tell me.” 

Karl breathed in, “Can we have this talk later?” 

“Why, are you fucking him or something?” Nick joked. “Listen, you like who you like and I don't judge but-” 

“Nick,” Karl cut him off. “Please.” 

Nick stared at Karl, letting go of his sleeve. “We’ll talk later.” 

Karl walked off and out of the door, leaving Nick behind. He felt bad to do so but Karl had boundaries, he would bring things up when he wanted to. 

He met Alex outside, smiling and walking up to him. Alex had smiled back, and it sent butterflies through Karl’s stomach. 

“Alright, so.” Alex began as they started walking. “I was thinking,”

“You can think?” Karl jokes. 

Alex let out an offended joke. “Karl!” He exclaimed while Karl giggled. “That was uncalled for.”

“Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t miss that opportunity.” Karl giggled. Alex had nudged him with his shoulder. 

“Anyways,” He stated. “I was thinking we could go to this little beach by my house.” 

“Okay,” Karl responded. “We can drop our things at my house first,” 

They made their way to Karl’s house, putting their things down in the living room and bolting out. Karl followed Alex as he made his way to the beach. Karl thought it would be the public beach pretty much everyone went to. He didn’t mind, it was still pretty. 

They eventually passed the public beach, Karl was confused. That is until Alex led Karl to trees, it wasn’t a thick forest but it looked pretty dense.

“You’re gonna have to bear with me on this one.” Alex said, and he went into the trees. Karl followed behind him. 

They made their way to a mud puddle, a thin log across it to get over. Alex turned around before walking onto it, he held out his hand for Karl to take. Karl’s heart thumped, taking the hand and sliding across the log. Alex was so balanced, it was so amazing. Karl almost fell over multiple times. 

At the end, Alex hopped off. Karl was still trying to balance while getting across, failing miserably. He nearly slipped into the puddle until Alex grabbed his shoulders to keep him steady. When Karl hopped off, Alex smiled and they made their way over. 

Finally, walking through tall grass, they made it to a hidden beach. It was gorgeous, it had the view of a bridge nearby, there was a pier made of rocks, and a small drop down from the land and to the water. 

Alex turned to Karl, “What do you think?” 

Karl beamed at him, his mouth wide open. “It’s beautiful!” 

They sat down on the rock-pier in silence for a moment, taking in how beautiful it was. The was shielded behind the clouds, giving the place shade. 

“How did you find this?” Karl asked Alex. 

Alex hummed, “When I first moved here I explored a lot because I didn’t have a lot of friends. After exploring as much as I could, I went into the trees and found this.” 

“How many times did you slip trying to get across the mud puddle?” Karl joked. 

“I actually placed the log myself,” Alex laughed, pulling his legs to his chest. “I slipped a lot though, too many times to count.” 

They laughed together, talking back and forth. They left before the sun went down, not wanting to get caught in a dark forest. They walked to Karl’s house, deciding to put on a movie, sitting close together. 


	6. 6

_ Maybe in time, you’ll want to be mine.  _

Alex was so close, it was driving Karl insane. He was so tired of thinking this way, so tired of craving and craving. It felt like he was somehow getting closer, Knee pressed to knee, shoulder pressed to shoulder. 

He just wanted to pay attention to the movie, god what was it even called? He started to sweat, his body ached for something-  _ anything.  _ He’d resist though, he had self control. It’s like Alex did this on purpose, he has a whole other side of the couch to sit on, yet he chose to sit so close. 

There was hope in Karl’s heart that maybe, just maybe, Alex felt the same. He wasn’t even sure what his sexuality was, and he was not going to ask for it. The movie had ended now, they were sitting in silence. 

“What do you want to do now?” Alex spoke, Karl’s heart raced. 

“I don't know,” Karl said, nearly at a whisper. Alex’s hands had snaked up to Karl’s hair, and  _ oh _ was Karl enjoying it. 

“Is this okay?” Alex said, his voice soft. Karl hummed in response, his hands were starting to shake. 

This was getting difficult, he breathed in and out slowly. His heart hammered in his chest, it was almost painful. He had to make a decision and make it the right one. Did he risk it all for his own satisfaction or keep wanting? 

He wanted this so bad, he looked over to Alex who smiled at him. The lights were turned off in his room, but the streetlights illuminated Alex so beautifully. 

Maybe he was just tired, but it looked like Alex wanted this too. He wanted nothing more than to just kiss him right now, The light looked so fucking perfect on him, it was driving him mad. His hands twitched, he wanted this, he needed this. 

He heard Alex speak, “Karl?” 

Hearing his voice made it worse. He let his self control fly out of the dinow and grabbed his collar. Alex said nothing. 

Karl kissed him. 

Alex’s hands flew up to Karl’s face, for a moment he kissed back. It filled Karl with pride, he went deeper. It felt so right, it was all he ever wanted. Karl’s hands moved from his collar to his shoulders, it felt so nice. 

Alex had pushed Karl away, pulling back. “Karl,” He breathed. 

His tone of voice shocked Karl, his eyes flew open. He was suddenly petrified, was he wrong? Did he read Alex wrong? He didn’t mean this, it wasn’t supposed to happen so soon. “I-” 

Alex cut him off. “Don't talk,” He said. Karl fucked up and he knew it. “We can’t do this. I’m straight and I haven’t known you for very long.” 

Ouch, that hurt. 

Karl was speechless, he wasn’t sure what to do. He opened his mouth but words wouldn’t come out. He backed away from Alex, shoving his hands into his pockets. They sat like this for a moment, Karl’s heart thrumming in his chest. 

“I’m sorry,” Karl just about whispered. 

“Don’t be,” Alex replied. 

Karl cleared his throat, “I’ll be right back,” He murmured, getting up and walking to the bathroom. 

He stared at himself in the mirror, tears began to flow and his anxiety was through the roof. He fucked up so bad, he had no idea how to come back from this. He sunk down onto the floor, covering his mouth so he wouldn’t make a sound. His hands were shaking. 

Why did he do that? Why did he throw everything out of the window? 

Sadness suddenly turned into anger. He stood back up, looking at himself again. He looked pathetic. He slammed his hand onto the acrylic sink. 

“Suck it up.” 

He stared himself dead in the eyes. He repeated it. 

“Suck it up.” 

He ripped paper towels off the wall, scraping them across his face. 

“Suck it up.” 

He closed his eyes and breathed in, counting to ten. He breathed out, counting backwards. He splashed his face with cold water. 

He didn’t want to keep Alex waiting for long, so he walked out of the bathroom. When he returned to his bedroom, Alex was gone. 

He only left a note. 

_ Sorry, we can talk later.  _

Karl stared at the note in his hands. He ripped it into pieces, throwing the pieces onto the floor. He threw himself onto his bed, sobbing. 

He picked his head back up, wiping his tears with his sleeve. He needed to talk to someone, anyone. He picked up his phone, quickly dialing Nick’s number. 

He waited, listening to the phone ring. 

“Hello?” Nick’s voice rang through. 

“Nick,” Karl sobbed, covering his mouth. 

“Karl?” Nick sounded panicked now. “Is everything okay?” 

“I-” Karl couldn’t finish his sentence. 

“I'm coming over, okay?” Nick said before hanging up. 

Karl lowered his hand and sat by his window, waiting for Nick to show up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorryyyyyy :)


	7. 7

_ Looking for a saw to cut these chains in half.  _

Nick didn’t bother to knock when he got there, he went straight up to Karl’s room and embraced him. Karl sobbed into his shoulder, clutching him for dear life. 

“What happened? Did Alex do something? I swear i’ll-” 

Karl cut Nick off. “No, he..” Karl breathed in. “He didn’t do anything, I fucked up.” He cried. 

Nick stroked Karl’s back, going in circles. He waited for Karl to calm down before asking again, “What happened, Karl.” 

Karl took in a deep breath, “Nick,” He began. He didn’t look at him. “I like guys,” 

“That’s great Karl,” Nick said, “I’m proud of you.”

Karl smiled weakly, continuing. “When I met Alex, he was the dealbreaker.” 

Nick hummed, listening carefully. “I kissed him, I didn’t mean to, I got ahead of myself.”

“We all make mistakes, Karl.” Nicked soothed. 

“I know,” Karl finally let go of Nick. “But, he kissed back for a moment.” 

Nick looked surprised, it hurt Karl. “But he pushed me away and left my house.” 

Nick looked mad now, “I’ll fuck him up if you tell me.” 

“No,” Karl sighed. “It’s fine. I should have expected this.” 

“But he should of talked about it with you,” 

“He left a note saying we will soon,” 

“That’s still fucked up.” Nick grabbed Karl’s hands. “Karl, you deserve the best. He shouldn’t have done that to you.” 

Karl nodded, looking down. He didn’t have the energy to cry. “Can you stay?” Karl asked Nick. 

“Yeah,” Nick said. Karl laid on his side, pulling the covers over him. Nick laid down with him, rubbing his shoulder as he fell asleep. 

He felt terrible the next morning. Nick was still here, he had surprised Karl with his favorite snacks when he woke up. 

“You’re too good to me,” Karl said, smiling at Nick.

“You deserve it.” Nick replied. 

They spent the day inside. They played games and watched movies, and even attempted to bake. It didn’t turn out well though, but they laughed it off. 

When Nick left, Karl was left feeling empty. He sat in his bed and stared at the ceiling. He hadn’t checked his phone all day, there was nothing from Alex. It hurt him, Alex didn’t have to be such a dick about it. 

The weekend flew by, he almost didn’t have enough energy to get up for school on Monday. Clay and George could tell something was up, but they said nothing. Karl didn’t see Alex all say, he wondered if he even went to school. That is until 3rd period, Alex sat a few seats away. Maybe that's why Karl didn’t see Alex in homeroom,  _ he sat away _ . 

He didn’t want to cry, but it was getting hard not to. He felt gross, his head ached, his heart ached. He didn’t bother to confront Alex about it either, if this was the end, then this is where it would stay. 

Class went by slowly, it hurt. He didn’t want to work, he only stared out of the window. When the bell rang, the rest of the day went by fast. He went home in a hurry, not wanting to be outside anymore. 

When he got home, Alex had texted him. It made him wonder, is it worth it? Is this what he wants? 

_ A: hey _

Karl didn’t respond. He didn’t want to. He was still hurting. Soon, he texted again. 

_ A: can we talk?  _

Karl ignored him. He can type out his own thoughts. 

_ A: please?  _

Well, it was hard for Karl to say no. Before he typed out a reply, he stopped himself. 

He can type his own feelings out. 

Karl was soon left disappointed, Alex stopped texting after that. Maybe he was beginning to be in the wrong, but he felt justified. The next few days went on like this, Alex tried to text Karl; he never replied. Alex looked at Karl in classes; Karl never looked back. 

He could tell it was fucking with Alex, and as bad as it made him feel, Alex needed to fight for him. 

Karl’s mood picked up in a few days, he wasn’t the happiest but he was sure getting there. He started engaging in his friends' conversations again; he did not talk for long, though. 

The weekend came by quick and passed by quick, soon enough it was Monday again. It seemed to rinse and repeat, Alex was getting tired of this. 

Eventually, Alex caught up to Karl in the hallway. “Karl!” He called, grabbing the sleeve of his sweater. “Come on, man. We need to talk.” 

Karl was silent, his anxiety spiked up. He knew he couldn’t fight it for much longer, and he needed to accept that if he wanted Alex to come back- he’d need to talk. 

“Okay,” 


	8. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the fic is coming to an end! probably one more chapter tomorrow :) fear not, i have more in the works. if you have any story ideas, let me know! i'll gladly take a few requests for karl and quackity :)

_ You’re driving me crazy, when are you coming home?  _

They had agreed to talk after school. Karl thought about ditching him, how he’d get out of school without Alex noticing him, all sorts of things. It made him feel terrible, he needed to do this. His heart sank when the last bell rang. He took his time walking outside, his heart rate picking up each minute. 

When he got outside, Alex was standing there. He nearly stepped back and ran the other direction. He breathed in and walked towards him. He followed Alex to the park, they stood under a tree together. 

“So,” Alex began. Karl couldn’t look him in the eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” Karl spoke. “I..” 

_ Man, he really wasn’t good with words. _

“Karl,” Alex spoke just above a whisper. “Look at me.” 

Karl looked at Alex, his hands started to shake. 

Alex cupped his face, Karl’s eyes widened. Alex leaned in and kissed him. 

_ Oh. _

Karl wasn’t sure whether to kiss back or to let this happen. Is this what Alex felt? He should really kiss back. 

Alex began to pull away, letting go of Karl’s face. Karl grabbed his collar and pulled him back in. 

T _ his can’t be real, he's dreaming right?  _

Alex’s hands slipped into his hair, bringing him closer. He slipped his tongue in.

_ Okay, maybe it wasn’t a dream.  _

Karl moved his hands to Alex’s waist, wrapping his arms around him. Karl’s mind raced, he backed Alex up against the tree. Karl didn’t even care if people from school saw this, he was losing his mind. 

Finally, they pulled away. Alex’s face was flushed, Karl bet his was too. 

“I like you, Karl.” Alex spoke

“I like you too.” Karl smiled at him, to which Alex smiled back. 

“I’m sorry for being mean,” He let go of Karl. “My sexuality was fucking me up and I got scared.” 

“I'm sorry too,” Karl said. They spent the rest of the day in the park together. 

Just before they parted, Alex spoke up. “Karl?” 

Karl turned to face Alex. 

“Are we boyfriends now?” 

“Yeah, if you want.” 

“Cool,”

“Cool.” 

They waved goodbye, heading back home. Karl was giddy, he's never been happier. When he got home, he called Nick. 

“Nick, I have the best news ever.” Karl was pacing around his room. 

“Yeah?” Nick sounded tired. 

“Alex and I made up,” He wasn’t sure if he should tell Nick they were together, he decided he’d keep it a secret for now. 

“That's great! Im happy for you.” Nick yawned. 

“Sorry, did I wake you up?” Karl finally sat down. 

“Yeah, I was taking a nap.” 

“Oh, sorry, I’ll leave you to your nap.” 

“Bye,” Nick said. Karl hung up. 

Karl stared up at the ceiling, he couldn’t believe this happened. He slept easy that night. The next day, he woke up refreshed. They had the day off today, so Karl decided to go to the beach Alex showed him. 

It took a bit of an effort to get there, but when he got there, he met Alex. 

“Hi,” Alex smiled at him. 

Karl smiled back. “Hi,” 

“Nice seeing you here.” Alex spoke. Karl sat down next to him. 

They sat together for a moment. “What are you doing here?” Karl asked. 

“I just wanted to,” Alex responded. He intertwined his and Karl’s hands. “Why are you here?” 

“Same reason as you.” Karl replied. He rubbed Alex’s hand with his thumb. 

It was nice like this, the silence. This is what Karl wanted and he got it. It wasn’t as slow as he preferred, but it was nice either way. 

“Oh,” Karl began. “I have an idea.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Let’s not tell Nick, Clay, or George about us.” Karl smiled. “Let’s see how long it takes for them to notice.” 

Alex chuckled at this. “I had the same idea.” 

And that was that. They walked home together, holding hands the entire way. It was cute how affectionate Alex got, Karl loved it. When it got late, Alex texted Karl. 

_ A: good night :) _

_ K: good night :] _

Karl stared at the messages for a moment, smiling. He went to bed shortly after. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope i soothed the sadness of the last two chapters <3 i really want to make this a bad end fic but i cant do that to u guys :( thank u for support!
> 
> ps: i might take out smut tags.. im a bit uncomfortable with writing smut but we'll see what happens! sorry to disappoint those who looked forward to smut :( maybe in the future i'll write one!


	9. 9

_ Everything that I want, I want from you.  _

Alex and Karl began to make it an effort to get Nick, Clay, or George to ask about them. It was a lot harder than they thought. They touched, a lot. You’d often find them pressed up against each other on the couch or simply just close even when standing together. 

Currently, they were at Clay’s house. The five of them often switched betweens who’s house they’d go over on hang out days. It was typically Karl’s or Clay’s. 

While they were in the kitchen, mixing some concoction up in a mixing bowl- George had spotted them holding hands, “You guys are holding hands?” 

“Yeah, you got a problem?” Alex teased. George was confused, but he didn’t ask more about it. That left them unsatisfied and only egged them on harder that night. 

They sat at the dinner table, pulling out a chess board and watching Clay and George go head to head at it. Alex was standing behind Karl, who sat at the head of the table. The shorter had bent down and gave Karl a swift kiss on the cheek, Karl giggled at it. 

No one had seemed to notice it, though. They looked up at each other and sighed. When Karl turned his head away, Alex grabbed his face and kissed him. When Alex pulled away, Karl buried his face in his hands. 

Nick was staring at them the whole time, Alex caught sight of this when he turned away from Karl. “What the hell was that?” Nick asked them, exasperated. 

“What?” Karl asked, removing his hands and sitting up straight. 

“Did you guys just kiss?” Nick’s eyes darted between the two. George and Clay stopped their game to look at the two. 

“No,” Karl said, though he already looked extremely guilty. 

“No- I swear you guys just kissed.” 

“What’s wrong with kissing the homies?” Alex had chimed in, earning a chorus of laughs. 

Nick had let it go, though Karl could tell he thought about it the whole night. They spent the entire night like this, sharing kisses; doing cliche couple-y things while denying the whole thing. It filled Karl with happiness, he can say that he’s never felt so happy in his life. 

This is what Karl wanted for such a long time, it's unbelievable he got it so fast and easy. It scared him a bit, what if Alex got tired of him? What if he became too much? 

When he looked over to Alex, head on Karl’s shoulder- practically glued to him- those thoughts washed away. He laid his head on top of Alex’s, letting good thoughts wrap around his brain. 

He felt fuzzy, he felt warm. His face felt warm. He reached up to touch it, his hands were so cold but his face was so hot. It was nice, it felt nice to know this happened because of Alex. He intertwined their hands, Alex using his thumb to stroke his hand softly. 

He wouldn’t want this any other way, it's the slow, soft, and tension building he wanted. 

Karl couldn’t stay that night, he and Alex walked home together. “Want to stay at my house?” He asked Alex. The shorter replied with a hum, and the two walked home. 

Karl didn’t bother to change his clothes, neither did Alex. He hopped into bed, Alex following. The black haired man put his head on Karl’s chest, falling asleep almost instantly. Karl ran his fingers through the boy's hair, he was happy. He fell asleep shortly after. 

Soon enough, the group caught onto the game they had. They confronted the two, they of course tried to deny it, but got a confession eventually. 

“How long was this going on?” Clay asked. 

“Like,” Karl looked over to Alex. “A month.” 

“You guys never said anything,” Alex laughed, Karl joined him. 

“Well, congratulations.” Nick smiled at the two, who smiled back.

The school year went like this, they were happy together for a long time. They graduated together, deciding to go to online college so they could still stay together. They eventually moved in, spending their evenings slow dancing in the kitchen to some 70’s song. 

It was nice, Karl thought. 

He looked down at Alex, who was cuddled up against him on the couch in the living room. 

It was all so nice. 

He got his sunday kind of love. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! i hope you enjoyed the fic :) more fics coming in the future!!! maybe an angst oneshot ooo (not in relation to this story dw)


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